


Teenage Dreams/Teenage Circus

by Norickayer



Series: Postcards from Elsewhere: A Collection of Young Avengers one-shots [9]
Category: Sky High (2005), Young Avengers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Gen, Loki is sometimes a girl and never ever a guy, scenes from a world where..., the tropes of norickayer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-12
Updated: 2015-05-12
Packaged: 2018-03-30 06:05:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3925639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Norickayer/pseuds/Norickayer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world just a little different from 616, the Young Avengers attend a school for super-human teens.<br/>(or "The Sky High AU you didn't know you wanted")</p>
            </blockquote>





	Teenage Dreams/Teenage Circus

“The entire Hero/sidekick dichotomy is bullshit,” Eli whispers to Billy during second period.

“Hero Support,” Billy hisses back, trying not to flush in embarrassment.

“Boys, please,” Mr. Murdock scolds, and Eli reluctantly turns back to his work.

-

“You’re just a late bloomer,” David reassures during lunch, all six Hero Support freshman huddled around the same table. “Everyone knows Super Soldier Serum is genetic.” He stabs his food with more emotion than processed meat really deserves. David has powers, and everyone knows it. Unfortunately, becoming a living encyclopedia doesn’t lend itself well to melee combat.

“Me, on the other hand,” Cassie adds, “I’ve been stealing Pym Particles for  _months_ , and  _nothing_. No powers.”

Eli picks at his hamburger and doesn’t respond. Nate pats him on the back, a bit awkwardly.

Billy’s eyes wander over to the other side of the lunch room, where his twin brother is laughing, sitting with the Hero freshmen.

While he is distracted, Luke steals his fries.

-

“Who is  _that_?” Tommy demands one morning, staring out across the quad.

Billy follows his eyes, and finds an uperclassman, a girl in a purple tanktop, leading a group of Hero students in stretches.

“That’s Kate Bishop,” Tommy’s friend America explains. “and I am going to tap that.”

-

“See, this just proves the whole system is bunk,” Eli complains loudly, gesturing his arm around the classroom. “Kate Bishop was a Sidekick just like us when she was a Freshman, you know.” He leans in for dramatic effect, “She’s  _completely un-enhanced._ ”

Cassie looks dubious. “Are you sure? I’ve seen her spar, she’s gotta have increased reflexes or  _something_.”

Eli shakes his head. “Nope. It’s in her records. She’s a normal human. Professor Xavier just thinks she’s Hero material, for some reason. She’s no better than us.”

Privately, Billy thinks she’s plenty better than them. She could probably kick all of their asses, blindfolded. But Eli is his friend, and he does have a point, so Billy tries to look supportive and encouraging.

“So what do you want to do about it?” Luke asks.

Eli’s smile reminds Billy uncomfortably of his brother.

-

“I know you’re anxious for your powers to manifest,” Wanda Maximoff tells her youngest son, “But your stunt today did a lot of damage.”

Billy slumps lower in his chair, and tries to avoid eye contact. Wanda manages to catch his eye anyway.

“You know I love you just as much as Tommy,” she tells him. “Even if you never get powers.” Billy flinches. Maybe Mom wouldn’t care, but Granddad would probably level a city if one of his grandchildren turned out human.

Billy takes a deep breath and steadies himself. He’ll just tell his mom what happened.

“It’s not fair,” he begins, and shit, it wasn’t supposed to come out like  _that_! His voice cracks, and the rest of the sentence sticks in his throat.

Wanda’s face softens, and she envelops her son in a hug. “Oh, Billy,” she whispers. “It’ll be fine. These things happen in a school for metahumans, you know. You ought to see the damage  _I_  did when I was a student.”

“It’s not  _fair_ , mom,” he wheezes. “I’m just as good as them!”

Wanda frowns, and sets her chin on top of Billy’s head. “Of course you are,” she says, in a tone that allows no disagreement. “The Hero and Support tracks are only separated for safety reasons.”

Billy blinks. “…what?”

“The students with physical powers tend to be more durable, but also more dangerous than the Support students. Sky High separates the classes until the Hero kids have gained enough control that they’re safe to be around.”

Billy’s mind is spinning. “That- that’s not what the Hero kids say,” he tells her.

Wanda snorts. “well they wouldn’t admit that, would they.”

-

Tommy dashes down the darkened halls. Every shadow makes his heart beat a little faster. Every creak or crash suggests the worst.

His mind only clears when he finds his brother.

“Billy!”

“Tommy!”

The brothers embrace, to hell with machismo and the Hero Support freshman watching from the shadows of the locker room.

Tommy’s Hero friends catch up shortly.

The freshman class stares at one another. In the doorway, Teddy, Noh-Varr, Jonas, and America shift uneasily.

“We might need some Support,” Tommy says, and his embarrassed smile is all the apology Billy needs.

-

“We’re not all here,” Cassie says desperately. And she’s right, of the six Hero Support students, only Billy, Cassie, Eli and David made it to the locker room after the power failed.

David swallows, and voices the suspicions he’s had all semester.

“Luke isn’t what he seems,” he announces. “He’s not real. There’s no records of parents or his birth or anything.”

“So?” Eli demands, “That doesn’t mean ze’s behind this.”

“Not just that, no,” David agrees, “But I think he’s Loki.”

“Thor’s dead Villain brother?” Billy asks. “That doesn’t make any-”

“No, he’s right about that.”

And there’s Luke after all, leaning heavily against the doorway, covered in dirt and superficial scrapes. Ze looks more serious than ze has all year. Billy squints, and thinks he can maybe see the resemblance to the faded photo of Loki in history class.

“I am Loki,” Luke confesses, “But this wasn’t me.”

“Then who-” Cassie starts to ask, but she stops suddenly, realizing, at the same moment Billy does, exactly who is missing.

Nate.

Kang.

 

 

 

 

-

Bonus scene: **Tommy in** **detention**

 

“Wait, Minoru?” Tommy demands, “Like, the sorcerers who tried to destroy the world?”

“No,” the girl in all black tells him, “Like the sorcerers who tried to destroy  _humanity_. They still had to live on the planet,” she says as if that distinction really maters right now.

“I’ve never seen you in class, how are you even passing?” Tommy wonders.

Nico grimaces. “What makes you think I’m Hero material?”

Tommy looks uncomfortable for a moment. “It’s- My mom’s the Scarlet Witch. She’s done at least as much damage in her time as your parents did. I know that doesn’t make you evil.”

Nico laughs. “No, dork, I mean I’m in Hero Support with your dumb brother.”

Tommy is gobsmacked. “But-” he gives up on words and wiggles his fingers.

“Yeah, turns out only one Minoru woman can access the Staff of One at a time. Mom’s not likely to give it up if she has any chance of escaping prison, so I’m pretty much useless until Mom kicks it,” Nico sighs. She leans back and rests her feet on the desk, her combat boots hitting the plastic with a loud “ _clunk_ ”.

“That’s… shitty,” Tommy tells her.

“Tell me about it,” she replies. But she isn’t staring at him like he’s a squished bug, so Tommy figures that means they’re actually getting along.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from "We Are Golden" by Mika.
> 
> _Teenage dreams in a teenage circus  
>  Running around like a clown on purpose  
> Who gives a damn about the family you come from?  
> No givin' up when you’re young and you want some._


End file.
